Teardown No. 102 · Podcasts

839 Pitches From an AI That Says It's AI: How Ben Albert booked 18 podcasts in 30 days

Ben Albert, host of Real Business Connections, pitches himself to podcasts with an AI assistant called Bert. Bert tells every host right away that it's an AI, asks if they're currently open to guests, gives a little context about Ben, and disappears the moment someone replies. From there Ben takes over, researches the show, listens and decides whether there's a fit. He reports 18 podcasts booked in 30 days and 124 host conversations from 839 pitches, with a median of 3 days from Bert's first email to a booking. He sends the pitches through Podseeker, and the detailed numbers come from Podseeker's case study of his account.

Ben AlbertVerified Nov 10, 2026Markdown copy

The problem

Before, he found shows on Listen Notes, researched each host, found them on LinkedIn and sent a personal DM. He also used PodMatch. “It’s not a bad strategy, just not scalable.” He wanted to know a host was looking for guests and interested first, then put in the research. He also writes that he genuinely doesn’t like automated bulk pitches, so he took everything podcast hosts hate about cold pitches and tried to do the opposite.

The blueprint (as he describes it)

  1. Pick active shows of the right size. The first bar is that the show is active and has a certain audience size, which doesn’t have to be huge. He uses Podseeker’s search and filters for this.
  2. Write the first email as Bert, and say so. His template opens: “This is Bert, Ben Albert’s AI assistant reaching out. If you reply, you’re talking directly to Ben from there.” It adds: “No long scripted pitch.”
  3. Ask one question. “Are you currently open to new guests?” A line about Ben and a possible topic follow. No pretending he listened, no AI pretending to be him, no fake compliments.
  4. Give Bert a voice. He taught Bert to write casually and tell a joke or two.
  5. Follow up, then stop. Scheduled follow-ups stop when a host replies. He exports pitches with each show’s LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and website to reach hosts who don’t answer email.
  6. Research after the reply. “Once the host replies, THEN I do more research, listen, and decide if there’s really alignment.” It’s not uncommon for him to tell a host afterwards that it isn’t a good fit.

Stated results

  • 18 podcasts booked in 30 days (September 2 to October 1, 2026).
  • 124 host conversations from 839 pitches (14.8%).
  • 3 days: the median time from Bert’s first email to a booking.
  • Podseeker’s count on October 22, 2026 from his account: 24 podcasts booked within 8 weeks of his first pitch (839 pitches, August 30 to October 20).
  • One host replied, “This is the first AI outreach that I have had positive feelings about.” Another person called the idea of using an AI agent “absolutely deranged.”

Caveats

  • The detailed numbers come from a case study that Podseeker, the tool he uses, wrote about his account. His own post repeats the headline figures.
  • Podseeker sells the tool. Its case study calls the results “one customer’s results, not a guarantee.”
  • He is considering a virtual event or small cohort to walk through the system.
  • Not everyone likes it: a PR strategist argued that automated first touches add noise to serious inboxes, and he calls her his strongest critic.
  • Handles: LinkedIn /in/realbenalbert and Instagram @realbenalbert, both linked from realbenalbert.com; Threads @realbenalbert (the Threads profile of that Instagram account, name Benjamin Scott Albert), verified 2026-11-10. The X account @realbenalbert belongs to a different person. No Bluesky, TikTok or Mastodon account found.

FAQ

How does Ben Albert use AI to get booked on podcasts?

An AI assistant called Bert sends the first email through Podseeker, says it’s an AI, and asks one question: “Are you currently open to new guests?” When a host replies, Ben takes over personally.

What results did he get?

18 podcasts booked in 30 days and 124 host conversations from 839 pitches, with a median of 3 days from first email to booking.

Why tell hosts the pitch is from an AI?

He refuses to be dishonest. He says being completely honest about using AI creates a change of state for hosts who have never received so many pitches.

Does the AI run the whole conversation?

No. Bert disappears the second someone replies. Ben researches the show, listens and decides whether there’s a fit.

Sources

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